MANCHESTER: Former Aston Villa star Stan Collymore expects Manchester United to start ‘sniffing’ the opportunity to sign Unai Emery as a replacement for Ruben Amorim.

The United head coach is now under immense pressure after a poor start to the season, his worst since the 1992/1993 campaign.

Currently, United are only 11th in the English Premier League and were humiliated when they were eliminated early in the League Cup by small club Grimsby Town.

This season follows a lackluster performance last season which saw them finish in 15th place, their lowest position in the Premier League era.

Even more painfully, they also lost to Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League final last May, thus ending a record of more than 10 years of playing on the European stage.

With Amorim’s position increasingly shaky, it is no wonder that several elite coaching names have begun to be linked with Old Trafford.

Among those mentioned is Emery, who was on United’s radar during Erik ten Hag’s difficult era last year.

Despite Villa’s slow start to the season, Emery’s work at Birmingham has received much praise.

The possibility of him leaving Villa Park is now heating up after the club’s President of Football Operations, Monchi, a close friend of Emery, announced his resignation on Monday.

Commenting on the matter, Collymore said on the X account: “Monchi… there’s been a lot of praise on social media for his hard work in terms of signing players, but for me only three players have really been successful, Tielemans, Rogers and Pau, out of over 20 players brought in. That’s just a modest record.

“Emery wants Monchi, so the question is whether Emery’s time at Villa will slow down and end at the end of the season, or whether he has come to terms with the fact, let go of a good friend for ‘business’ reasons and will work with someone new.”

Collymore added that clubs like Villa need at least 80 percent success in recruitment to remain competitive.

However, he did not rule out the possibility that Emery would be in the running for another big club in Europe.

“He’s not a local, there must be clubs in Spain, maybe even Italy that are interested.

“If United are serious about making changes, they will also try to get them because they can offer huge financial resources that Villa cannot match,” he said.

“Everything will be clear in 48 hours. If he wants to stay, Emery will show it with clear words. But if he avoids questions about his future at Villa, the club’s owner and Monchi’s successor will have to quickly prepare a list of new candidates.”

LONDON: Bernardo Silva has expressed frustration at what he described as an unfair fixture schedule after Manchester City had just 66 hours of rest between their Champions League match and a tough clash with Arsenal.

City had just beaten Napoli on Thursday, but only had two days’ rest before drawing 1-1 against Mikel Arteta’s squad, who had a longer preparation period.

Silva described the situation as unfair and claimed that the English Premier League and UEFA should have played a better role in giving players additional recovery time, let alone involving high-profile matches.

More significantly, the City captain also highlighted last Sunday’s performance, which saw Pep Guardiola’s team appear more defensive than usual, as a ‘bad day’ for the quality of top-level football.

“We can’t go to one of the most important games of the season with such a lack of rest. It’s not fair.

“They have five days of rest, we only have two and a half days. In a big match, things like this shouldn’t happen,” he said.

Silva understands the importance of the commitment of various competitions and the demands of broadcasting, but insists that priority should be given to the level of physical readiness of the players.

“We don’t mind playing every three or four days. We’re used to 60 games a season. All we ask for is a little sanity. For big games like Arsenal against City or Liverpool, the players have to be in equal physical condition to make it fair,” he added.

The Portuguese star admitted that he had not been at his best since the start of the game, and even described fatigue as the factor that prompted Guardiola to change his tactical approach to defense.

Silva also revealed that complaints made by team captains to the authorities had previously received no attention.

“We’ve tried to speak up, but they don’t listen. We want something to change, but it never happens,” he said.

LONDON: The pressure on Ruben Amorim is increasing when statistics show that the Manchester United manager now holds the worst record among English Premier League (EPL) managers.

In the derby at the Etihad, United were humiliated by local opponents, Manchester City 0-3 thanks to a goal from Phil Foden and two goals from Erling Haaland, thus maintaining their lackluster start to the season.

The defeat followed after losing 0-1 to Arsenal, drawing 1-1 with Fulham and only narrowly winning 3-2 over Burnley before the international break.

United have currently only collected four points from four matches, sitting 14th in the league with a goal difference of -3, eight points behind leaders Liverpool.

To make matters worse, Opta data reveals that since Amorim took over last November, United have scored just 31 points from 31 league games, the worst among the 17 clubs over that period.

The record is the same as Tottenham, but the Red Devils are worse with a goal difference of -13 to -4.

While Liverpool are top with 68 points from their last 31 matches, followed by Arsenal (64) and Chelsea (58), United are also continuing to decline despite Amorim’s reluctance to move away from the 3-4-3 system he has used since arriving at Old Trafford.

“This is not the record that Manchester United should have. I accept it, but I will not change my philosophy.

“If I want to change, I will decide for myself, not anyone else. If not, the club can change management,” said Amorim after the defeat to City.

Despite receiving criticism and the risk of losing support, Amorim maintained his approach.

“I understand that the fans are disappointed, that’s normal with decisions like this. But I suffer more than them. I always think about what’s best for the club and will do everything while I’m here,” he said.

United, who finished 15th last season, have struggled once again in the opening stages of the campaign, with Amorim managing just eight league wins since taking charge of the Red Devils.

LIVERPOOL: Alexander Isak has had his first training session with Liverpool after completing a £125 million move to Merseyside last week – Britain’s highest transfer record.

The 26-year-old Swedish striker was called up to the national squad for World Cup qualifiers against Slovenia and Kosovo, before returning to his new team-mates at Melwood training ground on Wednesday.

Isak looked cheerful with a big smile while wearing an Adidas Liverpool training jersey, but it is not yet certain whether he is fit enough to play against Burnley at Turf Moor this Sunday.

Despite missing pre-season training, Isak made a substitute appearance in Sweden’s 2-0 humiliating defeat by Kosovo on Monday, coming on for the final 20 minutes. The defeat leaves Sweden at risk of missing out on a place at the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada.

With just two points after two matches, Sweden are five points behind group leaders Switzerland and two points behind Kosovo.

The situation sparked anger from fans to the point that several players received death threats on social media, which are now under investigation by the police.

Isak’s move to Liverpool was a long drama throughout the summer, with the player reporting injury to avoid Newcastle’s pre-season tour of Asia before going on strike to force a move.

The move drew heavy criticism, particularly from Newcastle fans, with the club announcing his departure in just a brief 37-word statement — a cold farewell to their former star striker.

After Sweden’s defeat to Kosovo, Isak spoke for the first time about his attempts to leave Newcastle.

“Not everyone knows the whole story, that’s for another day. I can’t control everything that’s said or written. But I’m happy that I’m a Liverpool player now.

“It’s good that everything is finished before training camp, so I can focus back on playing football. It’s a new experience for me, but you’re always learning and growing mentally off the field as well,” he said.

After an initial bid of 110 million pounds in early August was rejected by Newcastle, Liverpool finally managed to secure Isak’s signature for a fee of 125 million pounds before the transfer deadline.

LONDON: Liverpool had to seek sports science expertise to complete the record signing of Alexander Isak on the final day of the transfer window.

The Reds signed the 25-year-old Swedish striker from Newcastle for £130 million after a long summer tussle.

Isak had previously gone on strike in northeast England after Liverpool’s initial offer was rejected.

Manager Arne Slot finally breathed a sigh of relief when he managed to get his dream player at the last minute.

However, Liverpool face major obstacles in finalizing the deal.

Isak’s injury record caused concern among management during negotiations.

The striker missed 39 of his 114 appearances for the Toons, mostly due to a groin injury.

In fact, he was also recorded as not attending more than 200 days of training under Eddie Howe.

According to the Sunday Mirror , Liverpool had to use the services of sports science experts to assess Isak’s fitness level.

Management wants to ensure that the large investment does not risk making it a ‘permanent resident’ of the treatment room.

However, the team of scientists were satisfied with Isak’s physical condition and gave the green light to set a British transfer record.

In fact, they are confident they can improve Isak’s injury record with close monitoring and a specific training plan after he returns from international duty with Sweden.